Ken Kutaragi, the former PlayStation executive known colloquially as the “Father of PlayStation,” has reacted to the ongoing debate and discussion about physical games in the wake of Sony’s announcement that it will end support for PS5 game discs in 2028.
Speaking to VGC, Kutaragi said he understands that people think they “own” games when they buy them physically. However, he said, “Nobody thinks [physical media] is necessary for a networked device like a smartphone, for example, because people feel that they will keep their content.”
He went on to say that he “really” does understand why some people are upset about PlayStation’s decision to end discs. After all, Sony continues to sell millions and millions of physical games annually, and in some regions, sales of new games on PS5 are more than 50% physical.
However, as many others have said and data shows, consumers are increasingly leaning toward digital, and that trend is only expected to continue.
“I don’t think it’s economically reasonable [to continue to support discs]. Maybe it’s a mentality issue,” he said.
For its part, Sony said ending support for physical discs is a “natural direction” for the company as it adapts to consumer trends. One expert believes Sony killing discs is really about profitability and control.
Kutaragi went on to say he understands that PlayStation’s teams now include people who came from “outside,” including people from streaming companies through Sony’s buyout of streaming service Gaikai. As such, he thinks it only makes sense that these new hires might see PlayStation as “not just a game console, but also a content terminal.”
“Maybe that’s how those people are thinking. But this has caused some friction with game enthusiasts,” he said.
While Sony might be giving up on physical games, Nintendo doesn’t plan to do that, at least not yet. Microsoft has not specified its plans for discs going forward, but most expect Xbox to kill off discs as well.